For Colin Kaepernick to get a contract extension that on the surface appeared to be in line with the elite quarterbacks in the NFL, he had to take an unusual deal that gives the San Francisco 49ers yearly control. If Kaepernick delivers as a healthy, accolade-winning superstar right from 2014, he would take home about $126 million through 2020, at a per-year average of $18 million. That’s a big if.

“The only thing I can say is I'm going to work to make sure I'm worth every penny of this," Kaepernick said after signing.

Indianapolis' Andrew Luck and Seattle's Russell Wilson in line behind him for a new deal will only have to do what they've been doing all along. They are are in line to not only get paid more, but also get it through a more typical contract in terms of guaranteed money and long-term security.

When Wilson can start talking with the Seahawks about his extension after the end of the 2014 season, he would have been a full-time starter for three years with at least one Super Bowl victory. Luck is set up to build on two Pro Bowls and a pair of playoff trips with the Colts. Their early resumes have them down the path of Aaron Rodgers money, and their teams won’t hold back in giving it to them.

“Wilson and Luck don’t have much to worry about,” said NFL salary-cap analyst Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com. “Barring major injury this year, they’re going to get what they deserve. One of them will be the highest-paid quarterback in the game.”

The Seahawks have showed they’re willing to be lucrative with their few superstars, given the recent deals for cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas. The Colts haven’t shied away from splurging on even middle-level players, and have the cap-room management ability to take care of Luck.

The 49ers have made it clear that Kaepernick, even with the potential of $61 million guaranteed for injury over the seven years, has to earn it every season. The contract is set up much like a rookie late first-round QB would have gotten under the old collective bargaining agreement.

So we don’t know if Kaepernick will indeed get the top-tier money, or fade quickly earning middle-tier money to the point the 49ers choose to get out of the deal. That’s the middle ground for a team still committing good money to a quarterback who’s started for only a season and a half, and a player confident he can play his way to the maximum.

The most realistic definition of NFL “highest-paid” is a combination of average annual salary and money fully guaranteed at time of signing. That unofficial distinction still belongs to Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers ($22M and $54M), with Atlanta’s Matt Ryan ($20.8M and $42M) and Baltimore’s Joe Flacco ($20.1M and $51M) not far behind.

For now, Carolina’s Cam Newton has some catching up to do with Wilson and Luck — in terms of both individual and team success — to make his push for highest-paid status, but his representation shouldn’t (and won’t) accept a Kaepernick-style deal. The Panthers, with a salary-cap mess they’ve been working to clean up, are working to get in position to offer what Newton can (and should) demand.

To Newton, Luck and Wilson, Kaepernick’s contract is all floor and not much of a ceiling.